The Enduring Impact of the Hartford Whalers on Connecticut’s Heart

The Hartford Whalers left Connecticut in 1997, and nearly 30 years later, the state still feels the loss. Having worked in Connecticut for 26 years and lived here for the past 15, I can say from experience that not a year goes by without a clear reminder of what the Whalers meant to this state.

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The latest reminder came from a Connecticut Reddit post on Sunday, March 9, 2025. The user, KaysaStones, shared the following:

"Still salty about the Whalers leaving. That' some f------ b---s---" 

In less than 24 hours there was a flood of responses echoing this notion, here are some of my favorites:

GirthIgnorer: "F--k-n A!" 

jskoggs11365: "Same. Love the game...can't find an NHL team. Mainly watch hockey east now."

Likeapuma24: "Just came from a Wolfpack game with the family.... Seeing those banners in the rafters hurts the heart."

zonedrifter: "Especially when Carolina gets to wear the damn HW logo on their throwback nights. Granted, I'm a fan of their team, but really think the whaler night is in bad taste. Someone is making $$$ off the merch and it isn't Hartford."

AutumnOpal717: "I miss the Civic Center mall. I got a pair of high heel glitter jelly shoes there in 1996 and they were the bomb (both jelly shoes and “the bomb” were cool in 1996)."

donkey1742: "I've been salty since 1997. Still have my Whalers tickets though. My dad used to take me to games when I was younger. Nearly got hit with a puck in the head once. But my dad took it in the chest like a champ."

Xcasinonightzone: "I moved to Canada 7 years ago and can’t enjoy hockey because there’s a Whalers shaped hole in my heart."

Ketachloride: "I just heard. F--k--g crushed."

decorlettuce: "I was at the car wash the other day and my buddy who sells CutCo knives was telling me that he heard from a guy that Ned is gonna get the Whalers back soon. Stay tuned."

JamesTaylorHawkins: "And the New England Patriots are moving into Connecticut any day now. Heard it from a gal who used to know people at Ronco."

ShadyJake75: "I hear Wallingford is getting an MLB team too. Fuller Brush guy told me."

Doggystyle-Gary: "F--k Peter Karmanos to death. I will piss on his grave."

PinstripePride23: "Have my Whalers hat on while I'm reading this."

JasJoeGo: "I got into some big rumbles on r/hockey over this. I just wish people would accept that the team was stolen and not stir up memories with these stunts."

WengFu: "Sweet yet another pointless Whalers nostalgia post. It is getting worse than the constant flapping about pizza on this sub."

Look at the passion these people are pouring into this—it's so raw and contagious. Some fans got so fired up that they packed up and moved to Canada, refusing to watch hockey altogether, which, let’s be honest, takes some serious effort. Then you've got rumors of a Whalers comeback being spread by the folks at CutCo knives and a guy who wants to pee on graves.

I love when people say they want to "piss on someone's grave," especially when their username is "Doggystyle-Gary." Honestly, I don’t want to pee on Peter Karmanos’ grave, but now it’s all I can think about. I’m fairly certain I’ll be relieving myself on someone’s grave before the week’s out.

P.S. If they do come back, here's a new team slogan idea: "Come for the hockey, stay for the jelly's."